BEDTIMEMAGIC

The rhythm section usually gets a bad rap. To think that it’s the 21st century and there are some who still think that, in most modern musics, the drummer should know his place and the bass player should solely play the bass.

Which is fine, if you’re into that kind of thing.

With two men using three instruments, BEDTIMEMAGIC, decidedly, is not. Bassist and singer Nicholas Pentabona rises to the foreground, playing his Rickenbacker 4003 with a loose, raw aggression normally reserved for a thrift store six-string. Guttural sonic power pulses through two amps, one keyed to treble and the other unapologetically low. His vocals are warbling and charismatic, channeling lingual acrobatics from beat poets and urban slam. One can recognize inspiration from such misanthropes as Nick Cave, Steve Albini, or absurds such as King Buzz-o or David Lynch.

Behind a larger-than-life metallic drum set -- replete with a marching band kick drum -- is Morgan Berns, a veteran of the New England hardcore and metal scenes. Having played with outfits such as Bury the Needle, Coleman, and LIVVER, Morgan is no stranger to the grit that comes with driving a band through basement shows nor corner bars. Berns’ kit slops and screams, while big beats and heavy chops crest loud in the mix, suggesting melodies untapped through nickel strings. Morgan seems committed to extending himself: He dons a headset microphone to sing a myriad lines despite playing a pedal-based single octave organ with his foot alongside the many syncopated snare hits.

BEDTIMEMAGIC was formed in 2014 while Nicholas was playing with the psychedelic noise group Big Dumb Animal. Morgan was a free agent; Nicholas was looking for someone to start a side project more focused and cutting than the direction BDA was evolving. Eventually BEDTIMEMAGIC would become a full-time entity on its own. It began as, and purports to always be, a two person project. Influences range from Deadguy, Shellac, Sleep, and Coalesce to more dissimilar acts like Sebadoh, Flipper, or even the sound of old Motown. In 2015 the band released their first demo, EXTRA FIRM.

BEDTIMEMAGIC is currently playing as many shows as possible and working on more material. Both Morgan and Nicholas like food, wordplay, and dogs.